Find Your Black Ducks

Long ago, in Medieval Europe, people believed all ducks were white. They paddled on lakes and migrated overhead. Naturally, people assumed that if you saw a thousand white ducks, all ducks were white. This is what we call and example of inductive reasoning.

For most of us, whether we are suffering from depression, stress, addiction or pain, it may seem that all our ducks are white; that is, our current problems seem like they will never end and happiness or personal fulfillment will always be out of reach. We sink deeper into a kind of demoralized despair, isolating ourselves from our friends and family, maybe even turning to drugs to number the awful thoughts and feelings we can't escape.

Back to Medieval times...One day, the strangest thing happened to a lowly serf - he looked out across a river and saw a black duck. The news spread throughout Europe: the sight of one black duck created what we call a paradigm shift in the collective consciousness.

What about you? Have you found any black ducks in your life? A black duck may be a moment of spontaneous laughter in which all thoughts or pain are forgotten. It may be that moment when you lose yourself in a thrilling movie. Black duck moments are those moments in which we fully engage in a present-centered activity, when we nourish self-acceptance, when we let go of suffering and discover in our lives a bit of greater meaning and purpose than we could have imagined for ourselves.

Seeking the black ducks in our lives is but one of many ways that we can cultivate acceptance, resilience and gratefulness in order to achieve happiness. If you would like to find out more about how to change your relationship to thoughts so as to discover your own precious black ducks, Dr. Stephen Hayes book on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life, is a great place to start. Or visit this informative ACT website. 

We also recommend the following books: 

• Wherever You Go, There You Are, Jon Kabat-Zinn  
• Mindfulness For Beginners, Jon Kabat-Zinn 
• A Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Workbook, Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein 

Bruce Singer, Psy.D. 
Program Director of the Chronic Pain and Addiction Center
Silver Hill Hospital 

We look forward to your comments on this and all Silver Hill Hospital posts. 

Silver Hill Hospital’s blog is intended only to provide information; it is not intended to provide diagnosis or treatment. If this is an emergency, please call 911.